Friday, October 29, 2010

Iranian weapons bound for Gaza seized in Nigeria

This underscores why the maritime blockade of Gaza is so crucial for Israel's security.

13 containers of military grade armaments including rocket launchers, grenades and 107 mm artillery rockets camouflaged as building material were seized in the Nigerian port of Lagos after being unloaded from an Iranian ship on Thursday, Oct 28. The shipping company said the manifest for the weapons described the shipment as "packages of glass wool and pallets of stone".

This advanced weaponry represents a step up in hostilities in the region. Terrorist groups have launched more than 10,000 rockets at Israel since disengagement from Gaza, with 170 mortars and rockets launched at civilian targets in Israel this year alone. Hamas is now escalating its threats “We’re coming to liberate Haifa and Acre together with world armies,” Hamas’ interior minister for Gaza, Fathi Hammad, said on Oct. 25. Hammad added “We must remain committed to jihad .”